Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Zhang Zhizhen

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Zhang Zhizhen made an impact.

Zhang Zhizhen is a Chinese professional tennis player who achieved a career-high ATP singles ranking of No. 31 in July 2024, making him the highest-ranked Chinese male tennis player as of July 2023. He also attained a doubles ranking of No. 47 in July 2024. Currently the No. 1 Chinese player, Zhang's accomplishments include three singles and two doubles titles on the ATP Challenger Tour, and two singles and two doubles titles on the ITF Futures Tour. He won a silver medal in mixed doubles at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

2008: Start of Coaching by Shao Donglu

From 2008, Zhang Zhizhen was coached by Shao Donglu.

2012: Shanghai Rolex Masters Debut

In 2012, at sixteen years old, Zhang Zhizhen received a wild card entry into the qualifying draw of the Shanghai Rolex Masters.

2013: ITF Men's Circuit Debut

In 2013, Zhang made his ITF Men's Circuit debut in May at the USA F12 challenger.

2013: End of Coaching by Shao Donglu

Until 2013, Zhang Zhizhen was coached by Shao Donglu.

2014: Sporadic Play and Quarterfinal in Cyprus

In 2014, Zhang played sporadically on the ITF Men's Circuit, finishing the year with thirteen participations and a quarterfinal showing at a Futures tournament in Cyprus.

2015: ATP Tour Debut at Shenzhen Open

In 2015, Zhang made his ATP tour debut at the Shenzhen Open, defeating Go Soeda in the first round.

2015: First ITF World Tennis Tour Title

In 2015, Zhang won the Mont-de-Marsan Futures tournament, marking his first ITF World Tennis Tour title.

2016: Ranking Hovering Around 800

From September 2016, Zhang's ranking hovered around 800.

2016: Signing with Ivan Ljubicic and Move to Croatia

In 2016, Zhang Zhizhen signed with Croatian tennis agent Ivan Ljubicic and moved his main residence to Lošinj Island, Croatia.

2016: Return to ITF Men's Circuit

In 2016, Zhang inexplicably missed the first four months of the ATP World Tour, and when he did arrive, he returned on the 2016 ITF Men's Circuit.

May 2017: Futures Final in Lu'an

In May 2017, Zhang reached a third Futures final in Lu'an, China, losing to Alexander Sarkissian.

2017: China Tennis Grand Prix Cup Title

In 2017, Zhang won the China Tennis Grand Prix Cup title for the first time after defeating Te Rigele.

2017: Reference to Previous ATP Tour Quarterfinal

Reference to Zhang's previous ATP Tour quarterfinal, highlighting the significance of his recent achievement in 2022.

2018: Reference to Marco Cecchinato's French Open Semifinal

A reference to Marco Cecchinato's 2018 French Open semifinal appearance, highlighting the level of competition Zhang faced.

2018: Early Losses and Injury

In 2018, Zhang experienced early losses on both the ATP Challenger Tour and the ITF Men's Circuit, and he retired due to injury against Andy Murray in Shenzhen.

2019: Reference to Previous Challenger Final

A reference to Zhang's challenger final in 2019, highlighting his recent performance.

2019: Jinan International Open Win and China Open Appearance

During the fall hard-court swing of 2019, Zhang won the Jinan International Open and reached the second round of the China Open.

2019: Quarterfinal Appearances on ITF and ATP Challenger Tours

In 2019, Zhang had multiple quarterfinal appearances on the ITF Men's World Tennis Tour and the ATP Challenger Tour.

2019: Masters 1000 Debut and Challenger Crown

In October 2019, Zhang made his ATP Tour Masters 1000 debut at the Rolex Shanghai Masters and won the Shenzhen Longhua Open.

2019: Career High Year-End Ranking

Zhang finished 2019 with a career high year-end ranking of 138.

2021: First Chinese Man at Wimbledon Main Draw

In 2021, Zhang Zhizhen became the first Chinese man in the Open Era to play in the main draw at Wimbledon.

2021: Wimbledon Main Draw Qualification

In 2021, Zhang qualified for the Wimbledon Championships main draw, becoming the first male Chinese player in the Open Era to qualify at Wimbledon.

2021: Challenger Tour and French Open Qualifying

In 2021, Zhang started with losses at the Istanbul Challenger and Dubai, followed by a semifinal placing at the Biella Challenger Indoor, and failing to qualify for the French Open.

October 2022: First Chinese Male Player in ATP Top 100

In October 2022, Zhang became the first Chinese male player to reach the top 100 in the ATP singles rankings.

October 2022: ATP Tour Quarterfinal and Top 100 Ranking

In October 2022, Zhang reached his first ATP Tour-level quarterfinal since 2017 at the Astana Open and became the first Chinese male player in the Open era to reach the top 100.

2022: Challenger Tour Quarterfinal and Semifinal Appearances

In 2022, Zhang made a quarterfinal appearance at the San Luis Potosi Challenger and semifinal appearances at the Tallahassee Tennis Challenger and the Tunis Open.

2022: Challenger Final and Braunschweig Semifinal

In 2022, Zhang reached the final of the Platzmann-Sauerland Open and the semifinals of the Brawo Open.

2022: First Challenger Title in Nearly Three Years

In 2022, Zhang won his first Challenger title in nearly three years at the Internazionali di Tennis del Friuli Venezia Giulia in Cordenons, Italy.

July 2023: Highest-Ranked Chinese Male Tennis Player

In July 2023, Zhang Zhizhen became the highest-ever ranked Chinese male tennis player.

2023: First Chinese Man in ATP Masters 1000 Quarterfinal

In 2023, Zhang Zhizhen became the first Chinese man to reach an ATP Tour Masters 1000 quarterfinal in Madrid.

July 2024: Career-High ATP Rankings & Olympic Medal

In July 2024, Zhang Zhizhen achieved a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 31 and a doubles ranking of No. 47. He also won a silver medal in mixed doubles at the Summer Olympics.